By Caroline Keane
Evergreen has a long history of solidarity with the Palestinian liberation movement. The Evergreen chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine is planning some events for Israeli Apartheid Week. They are seeking new members, and can be reached through their Instagram page @beldaan. The CPJ spoke with Yas, one of the coordinators of Students for Justice in Palestine, and a student at Evergreen about SJP and liberation.
CPJ: Can you tell us a little bit about the student for Students for Justice in Palestine group?
This group has been on campus for a while; it just needed coordinators to reamp it again. We are one of 200 chapters across the country, a very small community just starting out, but in the past it used to be something pretty big. We’re hoping to do the same thing, where we’re sharing educational materials for those who don’t know what is going on back home in Palestine, because it is heavily censored to learn about that. We also plan to put on events that are educational and unite the community; there isn’t a lot of culture happening on campus these days, which is needed with the impacts of COVID. That’s one of the importances of having this student group active on campus.
CPJ: How can people join SPJ? And support Palestinians?
Showing your support for Palestine and the Palestinian people can be in various ways. Setting time with the intention to learn may be so simple to some but it’s a great impact on the movement that’s narrative is constantly toyed with or censored. Social media is a direct connection to mainstream society, and last year around this time the algorithm was picking up attention to what was happening with the violent evictions and families forced to demolish their own homes in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan (many more towns but referring to what social media picked up on). I think because of that wave from last year a lot of resources came out of it, provided to people who were just tuning in and expressed that they would like to be educated further on the matter. I encourage people to take in those resources and challenge you all to seek ways that you think you can show up. This very article is an example of the 5 T’s in showing up for the community that Kendra Aguilar taught me: Talent (donating skills), Treasure (donating money if you are able), Ties (sharing network), Time (volunteering), and Timeout (knowing when to rest is resistance). Follow our Instagram for resources and other pages I recommend: @beldaan @falastiniyat @palestinianyouthmovement @mecaforpeace @jewishvoiceforpeace and many more.
To join SJP they can reach out to our email or to our Instagram, and we will send you a link to our signal chat and get you all settled. We usually go through everyone’s schedule to see when it works for a meeting, it’s never a consistent date. Normally, we either open it up with a seminar, or just go over the agenda. Most of our conversations like the big ones spark from those seminars have been very beautiful and moving. I just, you know, words can’t describe it. Actually. It’s all through zoom, but like, you can feel the sincerity and the concern.
CPJ: The heart and connection.
Yeah, it’s real. I heavily encourage joining SJP. On our Instagram, we have a link tree where we have a reading list that we’ve made. Dr. Mazin Qumsiyeh, who is an environmental scientist, has his own reading list that we’ve included. We included a couple other resources explaining what BDS is and such. So there are tools on our page to refer to, but doing your homework. Simply going on Google. It can be kind of difficult with Google, you need to put in certain keywords. Yes, censorship is real, but there are ways.
As my generation, I feel like it’s coming to be on social media. I think a lot of people have dedicated their time towards the first steps, an entry level of getting into learning what has been going on. So using those resources, and if you have a Palestinian friend, and if you want to ask questions, I don’t see like, why not, but they can’t be your only source.
CPJ: What do you think of the importance of relationships within organizing?
I feel like keeping a wide range network has been key, from orgs/groups that have been around to new start ups. We all have resources that helped us or know of someone who has those resources, and sharing to other communities is how we will progress closer to unity. I’ve learned that I have to be consistent because we are all so busy with projects as well. If I am reaching out to community leaders for support, I am prepared to offer my support on their end as well.
CPJ: Can you tell us a bit about Israeli Apartheid week?
It will be in May. Israeli Apartheid Week is an event that all SJP is trying to get involved in doing on their campuses. It’s dedicating a week to acknowledge everyday life and the reality of living between these walls; just simply accessing the grocery stores is a whole obstacle just going through checkpoints. That’s what it’s going to mainly reflect on. We’re going to be having a mock up apartheid wall. With the wall, back home, a lot of people have made light of it in a way where there’s murals and kind of like, creating murals in solidarity with other people’s struggle as well. So we’re going to dedicate a day to paint on the wall to embody that.
CPJ: Based on conversations we’ve had, I heard you speaking to joy, art, beauty, and the importance of community and hospitality. It sounds like within your organizing the intention is to create a container for people to come together, offering them something, and hoping to create something together. Would you speak more to any of those things?
I would like to think most Palestinians agree on this, but I won’t speak for them. I just feel like that’s a very big element to our values. You mentioned hospitality, just growing up and seeing my Palestinian community, like giving it all towards one another. It’s love, and it’s very passionate love. We want to see our people do well, anywhere. When I think of the people, I think of one people, Wahdi Nas. I say that often; [it means] we are all one.
We are relatives. That’s heavily implemented throughout the whole entire NPP curriculum. Everything, all living things are relatives. I agree with it, it’s true. We are, you know, one. Sharing that hospitality, sharing that art. You had mentioned something about it is really beautiful, where like, it could be the most painful, most sharp experience, and yet something just blossoms out of it.
I did research on olive tree production. It’s not easy to this day. Farmers are struggling and are increasingly harassed during the harvest, but they managed to create beautiful songs, poetry, and stories about the tree. There’s such a, you know, a beautiful symbolic bond with the tree. That’s just a greater example.
CPJ: When you imagine a free Palestine, what does that look like?
For me, first things first, Palestinians need human rights. In order to do anything, we need the rights. Because right now, they have nothing that supports them in the Israeli Military courts. I mean, from an infant, to a very old individual. You can be convicted over suspicion with zero evidence backed up. Most cases Palestinian’s are denied in having an attorney present and for children no parent present either while under going interrogation.
That would be the dream, man. Stop my cousins from being arrested every fucking summer just for breathing, pretty much. Sad to watch from out here.
